BlueBay Asset Management has expanded its Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) investment team with the addition of Emma Whiteacre as a Senior ESG Analyst, and Elena Koycheva as ESG Institutional Portfolio Manager.
BlueBay Asset Management has expanded its Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) investment team with the addition of Emma Whiteacre as a Senior ESG Analyst, and Elena Koycheva as ESG Institutional Portfolio Manager.
Based in London, Whitecare reports to My-Linh Ngo, Head of ESG Investment, Portfolio Manager, and will contribute to BlueBay’s ongoing ESG investment management efforts, particularly in the area of climate change.
Also based in London, Koycheva reports to Simon Chennell, Partner and Institutional Portfolio Manager, and will work with investment teams to enhance the firm’s proposition by showcasing evidence of robust ESG integration and engagement across BlueBay’s strategies.
BlueBay CIO, Mark Dowding says: “We’ve come a long way since we hired our first ESG consultant in 2013, having launched several ESG-dedicated funds and done some groundbreaking work on impact-aligned investing within fixed income. Last year also saw ESG established as a firm-wide strategic filter with our ESG team moving from our risk to our investment function. The appointments of Emma and Elena personify the critical importance we place on ESG in future-proofing our business. We are delighted to have their insights further enhance our offering.”
Before joining BlueBay, Whiteacre was most recently a Country Risk Analyst at Beazley Group, as well as the chair of its Responsible Business Committee overseeing all Responsible Business workstreams to establish sustainability, ESG and climate change as key priorities within the firm, particularly for risk management and corporate development. Whiteacre has also been involved in research projects on climate and ESG issues, including participating in Lloyd’s market reports on Financial Instruments for Resilient Infrastructure and Transition to a Low-Carbon Economy. Whiteacre holds a Master of Science in Economics and a Postgraduate Certificate in Economics from Birkbeck College.
Koycheva has been with BlueBay for almost five years and most recently in the role of Senior RFP Writer within the Global Business Development team, where she has been actively involved in articulating how ESG considerations are integrated across BlueBay’s investment strategies. Koycheva holds Masters degrees in Portfolio Management, Corporate Finance and Banking, Finance and Risk Management. She is a CFA and CAIA charterholder and a CIPM designation holder and has obtained the Certificate in ESG Investing.
ESG is fully embedded in BlueBay’s investment process. Regarding the firm’s own ESG efforts more broadly, BlueBay aligns its environmental strategy to that of its parent, the Royal Bank of Canada (“RBC”). RBC is dedicated to investing in the future of the planet through its commitment to reducing environmental impact and has a number of campaigns and focuses to support this drive.
